Switch for electric circuits.



B.'P.ISWYERS.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION HLED lAN- 21 19H.

1,201,384. Patented Oct. 17,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET .1-

. B. P. SWYERS.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS. APPUEATIQN FILED JAN- 21, L914.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

1,201,384 I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 the mechanism.

' person familiar with shunted to ground and to was P. swrnns, or PITTSBURGH,

- Assmmmnrs, T0

SYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAVI ARE'.

SWITCH FOB, rirsc'rmc cmccrrs.

, g Specification of Letters latent.

\ Application filed. January 2?, i914.

Too whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Brion P. Swrcns,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, Southside, in the county oi Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haye invented a: new and usefulImprovement in Switches for Electric Circuits and I do hereby declare the following to he a hill,

clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to switches and more particularly to switches which are des gned for use withcircnits of a hlgh tension nature, such as the circuits of motor cycles,

inagnetos, etc.

The. object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple and eiiicient form of switch or electric lock for high tension circuits and particularly for motor cycle circuits where- 1n the mechanism of thcsnnoe cannot be started unless "the person operating knows ow tomenipuliite the switch.

A further object of my invention is to provide a, switch or lock for high tension circuits which can onlybe operated by a the combination enr ployed.

A still further object of my invention to provide a doiibleswitch or look for high tension circuitswherein the magneto supplying current to the some will be doubly operate the switch ground can be re moved and the current utilized for starting y invention consists, generally stated.

. in the novel arrangement, construction and.

'comhinntion of parts as hereinaftcr niore specifically set forth and described and particularly pointed out in the chums.

. o enable others skilled in the art to which my invention sppertains to construct, use, operate and install my in'ipro'ved switch or lock for high tension circuits, 1 wili describe the game more fully referring to the accompanying drawings, in jwhi'chz Figure l is s top plan view or" the switch showing the double combination feature. Fig. 2 is a. side View of device-with the cars ing clnd cover plate removed and looking in the direction or the arrow in Fig. 1. Fig. 15 an end View of the same. Fig. 4 is a is :1 top plan View of the bottom plate Fig. 7 is.

, corners Patented 0 ct. 17,1916. Serial No. 814,656.

bottom plan View of the lock with the casand cover plate removed. Fig. is a plan-view of the cover plate;

sl1owmg the position" of the contacts. a bottom plan View of the rotary attached to: the upper'plate. enlarged plan View employed in the rotary disk. Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the switch on the line '9-9 disks as Fig. 6.

Fig. -8 is an of the spring contactof Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow and with the operating members reemployed: v gramnintic view of theconnect ons between my improved lock and on used for supplying the spark to a motor cycle engine. Fig. 12 IS a familiarview showing a different system of. connections.

Lure symbols of reference herein indicate like parts in each of the figures of the drawmg. I

As illustrated in the drawing my improved switch A consists of a casing 1 which isiori'ned of any suitable presses or bent metal and has two circular openings 2 and 3 in the upper. face of the same for. viewing the indicator dials 4 and 5 on the upper face of thenpper plate 6.

said casing a glass or other transparent plate 7 rests to prevent the exposure-of the dials t and 5.

made in any desired shape for being securely mounted on any mechanism and the shape material. such as The lower endof the casing l isof casing shown in the accompanying drawings'is designed for use of one particular type but any form may be used.

A pair of shafts 8 and 9 extend through with a. motor cycle te upper plate 6 and a lower plate 10 while 7 such piates'are spaced apart by means of small standiirds 11, 11, 12 and 12 at the .61? the same. These standards 11, ll, 12 and 12 are secured to the upper plate 6 by means of screws 13 passing through plates and into the sense zind the lower plate 3.0 is secured to the standards l and 12 hy screws 14 passing through the 51. .1116 and into said standards but said lower plate is secured to the standards 11 and 12 by screws 15 which form binding posts as later explained. r

The shafts 8 and 9 have a reduced portion 16 at their upper ends for passing through holes 17 in the upper plate 6 and these holes are located in the center of the dials 4 and 5 which are graduated in any suitable manner. The shafts 8 and 9 are provided with hands 20 and 21 respectively which are firmly secured to the upper ends of said shafts by screws 22 in order to insure of said hands turning with said shafts and the outer ends of such'hands are slightly Within the periphery of the dials 4 and 5 so that said hands when turned with the shafts will indicate locations on the graduated dials.

On each of the shafts 8 and 9 are rotary disks 23 and 24 respectively which are keyed to said shafts by suitable means so as to insure their turning with the same and immediately above said disks on said shafts are bevel gears 26 and 27 respectively which are alr'o secured to said'shaft-by suitable keys. Secured to the under face of the upper plate 6 and directly in line with the shafts 8 and 9 are brackets 28 and 29 which carry and 31 for shafts 32 and 33 re- These shafts 32 and 33 are bearings 30 spectively. provided with meshing with the bevel gears 26 and 27 respectively on the shafts 8 and 9 while longitudinal movements of said shafts 32 and 33 is overcome by means of pins 35 extending through the same and against the bearings 30 and 31. t

The casing 1 is provided with holes at the ends of the shafts 32 and 33 and operating members 37 and 38 respectively enter said holes and fit over said shafts for turning the same. These operating members 37- and 38 have a groove 39 at the end of their barrel portions 40 and these grooves fit over the pin 35 so as to virtually key said shafts and operating members together While said members are prevented from leaving said shafts by screws 41 passing through the same and into the ends of said shafts.

The lower faces of the rotary disks 23 a nd 24 are provided with annular slots 42 and with recesses 43 around the holes which lit over the shafts 8 and 9, while a third segment 44 of the material included between said slot and recess. is cut out to a depth equal to the depth of the said recess but said slot-1s of greater depth than said recess and Fitting around the shafts 8 and 9 and located within the recesses 43 on the under face of the rotary disks 23 and 24 are spiral springs 45 which have two outwardly extending arms 46 and 46 which lie within the cutout segment 44 and rest against the side faces 47 and 47 formed by said cut-out segment,

and said arms have each acurved portion 48 and 48 respectively continuing out from the ends of the same for fitting within the annular slot 42 between the side faces 47 and and 54, 55 and bevel gears 34 and 35 for plate. counter sunk holes while between the said holes below the terminals 51 and. 52 below a into the, electric circuit.

- between the side faces 47 and 47 beyond the cut out segment 44 is covered by a metal plate 50 of some conduct ng material at about the center of its depth and such plate is adapted to make contact with the curved portions 48 and 48 of the spring 45 at all times'wliile said plate will always restrain the "spring 45 and prevent the same from leaving said slot.

The upper face of the lower plate 10 is provided with three contacts 51",;52 and 53, respectively for each. of the rotary disks 23' and 24 and these contacts are raised slightly abqye the upper face of said plate for the purpose of engaging the plate 50 and the raisedportions or contacts 49 able intervals as hereinafter described. These contacts 51, '52 and-53 for use with the rotary disk 23 and the contacts-54 55 and 56 for use with the rotary disk 24 are so located thatthey extend slightly into the annular slot 42 of their respectiye disk, and. are held in position by screws 57 formed integral with saidvcontacts and having small washers 58 and nuts 59 thereon for holding the said contacts tightly against the said These washers 58 and nuts 59 rest in the rotary disk 23 and between the said holes below the terminals 54 and 55 below the rotary disk 24 grooves 61 and 62 respectively extend and these grooves are for the purpose of passing wires 63 and 64 between the respective screws 07 on said contacts and to the screws 15 at the corners 'of the lower plate 10 so that the wires 63 and 64 will be grounded through the standards 11 and 12" and through switch to the frame of the machine.

The cover plate 65 fits over the lower face 53 and 56 and said. recesses '66 and 67 extend to an opening 63 in said cover plate so that w1res 69 and; 70 may be connected to i said screws and passed through said recesses and opening in order to wire the said lock The cover plate is secured in the casing 'l by means of small screws passing through the sides of said casing and into the edges of said plate.

and 49' of the spring 45 at suitthe respective parts of the v s ,of the lower plate 10 and is properly re- The operation of my improvedswitch device or electric lockcan best be understood by considering the same in connection with Fig. 11 which shows the connections be: tween an ordinary motor cycle and my im-.

proved device; The wires 69 and 70 after leaving the opening 68 in the cover plate 65 1 run to and are connected with the distributor post 72 of the magneto B. The contacts 51 and 52 below the disk 23 and the contacts 54 and 55 below the disk 2% since they are connected together and then toground by the wires 63 and 6% respectively form two complete circuits or shunts to ground with the wires 69 and 70 so long as. there is some connection of the contacts 53 and 56 with the wires 63 and 64 respectively. hen it is desired to start the'engine of the motor cycle the operator, knowing the combination employed, turns the operating memher 37 so; as to rotate theshaft 8 and rotary disk 23 through the medium of the bevel gears 34 and 26 and shaft 32. The

disk 23 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 9/ Consider the contact portion 49" between the contacts 51 and 52" and the contact portion 49 between the conportion 49.

tacts 52 and 53. As the disk 23 is rotated in the directionotthe arrow the, contact .portion 49 engages the contact 52 and the contact portion 49 engages the contact The contact portion 49' will readily pass over the contact 52 as the-arm 16 is resting firmly against the side face 47 and the pressure exerted thereby in the turning of the disk 23 will cause the said contact portion to be depressed sufficiently to pass over said contact. The contact portion 49, however, will bear firmly against the contact 53 and will be held thereby so that the arm 46 will be drawn away from the side face 4;? and the contact portion 49 will approach the contact The contact portion 49 will thus be held by the contact 53 until the contact portion 49 bears against it and exerts sufficient pressure to depress it slightly, whereupon it springs around and the arm 46 again rests against the side face 47 of the disk 23. At this point the contact portions 49 and 4-9 are resting on different sides of the contact 53 with the contact portion. 49" engaging therewith. During the rotation of the disk 23 the hand 20 has been turning and the operator, knows when the contacts are in the above described position as the hand will be pointing to a known number.

As soon as the hand is thus set the disk 23 is rotated a-"short distance in the reverse direction, so that the contact portions 49 and 49 will be about midway between the 'contacts 51 and 5.3 -and 53 and 52 respectively,

' i and the contact 53 will be disengaged from any connecting part except the wire 69 so that the ground connection will be broken and the current't'rom the'magneto B utilized for supplying the necessary spark to the{ spark plugs C.

Thepositions oi the several contacts need not be understood by the operator as "all he will be required to know is'the combination of numbers for opening the ground circuits and the hands on the dials will indicate different combinations of numbers in'each individual lock.

Fig. 12 shows another'manner of connect:

ing the look into the circuit wherein the wires 69 and'70'will be connected to the wires 73 and 74 respectively leading to the spark plug- C, but in this case each of the disks 23 and 24 with their cooperating parts will control one of the spark plugs so that vone cylinder ofthe engine may beoperating and one shunt down.

It will readily be seen that with my improved switch or look the'owners' of motor cycles will be safeguarded against theft of the same as 'it is impossible tooperate the engine without knowing the combination of the lock. It will also be seen that that por-' tion of the upper face ofthe lower plate 10 immediately below the annular slot 42-may be serrated in order to click against the raised portions 49 and 49 ofthe spring 45 or another part so as to confuse any person tampering with the same.

Various modifications and changes in the design, construction, operation, application and -manner of connecting my improved switch may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim'as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a permutation switch, a series of electrically connected fixed contacts, an arc member adapted, on rotation thereof, to be held in engagement with the independent contact, until said member is moved toa predetermined position. v 2. A switch including a plurality of fixed cont-acts, certain of said contacts being perwith the segmental contact and between the terminals thereof, said segmental contacts -10 .shaped contact member rotatable thereover, an independent fixed contact, and spring contact means associated with saidcontact.

I 1,201 ,se-aand said last mentioned means being adapted to electrically connect all the contacts, except when said yieldable contact means are moved to a predetermined position.

' 4. A switch" including a plurality oi fixed contacts, certain of said contacts being permanently connected, a segmental contact member rotatable over said fixed contacts, and a yieldable Contact member movable between the terminals or" the segmental contact, said yield-able contact being also movable with and controlled by said segmental contact, and said yieldable and segmental contacts being adapted to connect all of said fixed contacts, except when said yieldable contact member is moved to a predetermined position.

5. In, a permutation switch, a series of electrically connected fixed contacts, an arc shaped contact member rotatable thereover, an independent fixed contact, spring contact means associated with said contact member adapted, on rotation thereof, tobe held in engagement. with the independent contact, until said member is moved to a predetermined position, and means for indicating said predetermined position.

6. An electric switch including a series of fixed contacts, a segmental contact rotatable over the fixed contacts, a yieldable contact tween its terminals during a partial 'revolution of the segmental contact, means for releasing the yieldable contact from engagement with any one of the fixed contacts upon the movement of the segmental contact a certain distance with respect thereto, and means for indicating the position of said yieldable contact.

7 An electric switch including a plurality of fixed contacts, a segmental contact mov able over the fixed contacts, a double arm yieldable contact member movable with the segmental contact and engage-able with any of the fixed contacts which may be located between terminals of the segmental contact, means for releasing said yieldable contact from any one of said fixed contacts at a predetermined point in the rotation-of the segmental contact, and means for indicating the position of said yieldable contact. y

In testimony whereof I. the said Benin 1?. SWYERS, have hereunto set my hand BEIGE P. swrnesl Witnesses i T. B. HUMPHRIES, J. N. Comm. 

